Until Angels Close My Eyes
by ainsleyhayes
Summary: “My mom used to tell me that the stars could tell us anything we wanted to know…” Post Truth Takes Time 1 of 1


Title: Until Angels Close My Eyes  
  
Author: neumy  
  
Rating: PG  
  
Summary: "My mom used to tell me that the stars could tell us anything we wanted to know." Epilogue for Truth Takes Time. Entry for SD-1 November Challenge. Requirements: missing scene/epilogue for S2 episode, use of the word 'palpable', and a character sharing something they are grateful for.  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Alias.  
  
Author's Note: First of all, I'm so sorry that this is late. I've been really sick, so coherent thought hasn't really been a go for me. Second, your eyes do not deceive you. this really is a happy story. I know you're shocked, and I am myself. I blame the fever and relentless illness, which has rendered me basically bedridden for almost two months now. Anyway, I hope that you do enjoy it. Thank you for reading!  
  
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Until Angels Close My Eyes  
  
"When I was little, my mom used to tell me that the stars could tell us anything we wanted to know," Sydney Bristow spoke softly.  
  
Michael Vaughn lay next to her on the ground, watching her watch the stars. He took in her serene face as she gazed up at the velvet night sky, awed by its ethereal vastness.  
  
Her eyes never leaving the sky above her, Sydney continued telling her story. "We would sit together in the backyard for hours at a time, wrapped up together in a blanket on the grass. She would tell me the stories of the constellations, how certain stars got their placement in the sky." She paused, taking a deep breath as she remembered those moments with her mother. "She told me that the only time she felt small was when she looked into the heavens. When she sat there in our backyard with me, looking up into the sky."  
  
A single tear slid slowly down her face as the events of the past few days caught up with her. A defeated smile played at her features as she fought to keep the wall of tears from falling. She turned her head, facing him as she sighed, physically and emotionally drained from all she had been through.  
  
As she met his eyes, he found himself struck once again by her beauty. He always thought that she was stunning, but there were moments when he would look at her and stop breathing for a few seconds; there were moments that he was so awed by her that it overwhelmed him completely, leaving him utterly amazed.  
  
This was one of those times.  
  
She looked vulnerable and defeated, emotions that he rarely saw cloud her face. But now, after all of the betrayal and all of the loss and pain took their toll, she looked so hurt that his heart broke for her.  
  
He reached out his arms, feeling the overwhelming desire to comfort her, to make the hurt go away. She moved over to him, needing to feel warmth and love instead of anguish and betrayal. Together, they laid in silence, eyes drifting up to the sky above them.  
  
"Why does it all seem so peaceful out here?" Sydney questioned, her eyes fixed on the stars above them. "The world is so full of hate and chaos, but here. it feels like we're the only two people alive."  
  
Vaughn paused, growing thoughtful as he pondered her question. After a few moments, he spoke, his voice calm and quiet, mirroring the scene around them. "When I was a kid, there were nights when my dad would sneak into my room late at night and wake me up. We'd get into the car and just drive, getting far away from the city lights to some secluded area in the middle of nowhere," he explained. "He would get out the big blanket that was always in the trunk and lay it out. We would lie there for hours, looking up at the sky, in the middle of some field or an out-of-the-way park. And staring up, we would feel so. so small, so unimportant. Whatever problems we were having just seemed to float away, even if just for one short night."  
  
He stopped speaking, letting the silence drift over them in peaceful, calming waves. Sydney reached behind her and pulled his arm around her waist, holding his hand tightly in her own. They lay there like that for what felt like hours, simply reveling in the rare moment they had together, feeling worlds away from the chaotic world they lived in.  
  
Breaking the silence, Vaughn took a deep breath and began to speak again. "We didn't go out stargazing very often, me and my dad, but he always knew the perfect time; he could always sense when I needed to get away," he confided quietly. "And I think. I think that those times helped him more than me, you know? He really needed those nights where everything could disappear - problems with his family, little fights with my mom. his job. He needed that time. And looking back, I'm really grateful that I was with him, that I could give him that and be a part of that with him."  
  
Sydney nodded silently in understanding, tears cascading down her face. "I'm sorry that she took that away from you," she offered remorsefully. She shook her head, trying to find the right words. "I'm just. I'm so sorry."  
  
He buried his face in her neck, kissing her gently. "Sydney, you know that you never have to apologize for her," he stated plainly. "It isn't your fault, and I hate that you feel guilty for things that you didn't even do."  
  
She choked back a sob, trying to regain composure. Taking a deep breath, she continued, "I know, Vaughn. I do know that. But," she took another shuddering breath, "I can't help it. My mother tore your family apart; I know how much you loved your dad, and she took him away. And since she certainly can't make any of that pain go away, at least I can try. You deserve that much," she said emphatically. "You deserve that and so much more."  
  
"Sydney," he whispered. "You deserve better than she ever gave you. Better than anyone has ever given you. I know you don't believe that. But Syd. you do. You should have had so much more."  
  
She tightened her grip on his arm, and he placed a chaste kiss to her hair.  
  
"Emily said that to me once." Her soft, wavering voice cut through the stillness of the moment, the quiet of the night. "I think that she knew about Sloane and SD-6 for a lot longer than she let on. I was with her for lunch one day, in her garden, and out of nowhere she reached over and touched my cheek. She looked into my eyes and said 'Sydney. this life. you deserve better than this life. You deserve better than all of this.'"  
  
Vaughn sighed into her hair. "She was right."  
  
Sydney just shook her head again, a sad smile on her face. A moment passed as she grew pensive. The smile left her face as she remembered Emily, the closest thing to a mother she ever had. "I don't understand how she could have loved him. I know that he was always human whenever it came to Emily. but I just don't understand. After everything he's done, after all of the pain he's caused, she stayed with him. She ran with him." She sounded almost numb, but confusion and pain were etched into her words.  
  
He tenderly ran his hand through her hair. She took a labored breath, fighting with all of the emotions that were threatening to get out.  
  
"Syd?" he questioned softly after she was silent for a moment. "I know that a lot of the people you've cared about have hurt you, betrayed you." She winced, remembering all of the betrayals that she'd been dealt with, the most recent fresh in her mind. He wrapped his arms around her more tightly, then continued. "I know how much you've been let down by people that you trusted. But Syd, I promise you that I will do everything I can to make sure that I'm not one of those people. I'll always be here for you, no matter what happens." He turned her around to face him, taking her face between his palms. His thumbs gently brushed her tears away as he tilted her head up so their eyes could meet. Staring deep into her eyes, he repeated each word carefully and deliberately. "I will always be here for you. Until angels close my eyes, I will be here for you."  
  
He lowered his head to hers, covering her mouth with the sweetest, most tender kiss she had ever received.  
  
He pulled away, and, dazed, she slowly opened her eyes, gazing up into his. The love she saw reflected there was almost overwhelming; it was as if all of the stars in the sky had fallen down into his eyes, shining just as brilliantly as they had high in the heavens.  
  
"Vaughn." she whispered, voice faltering, unable to speak as the moment engulfed her. Unable to remove her gaze from his pure green eyes, drowning in the beauty she saw.  
  
"Sydney," he whispered back steadily, his bright eyes staring back at her with intense scrutiny, seemingly memorizing every fleck of color set in her eyes.  
  
She was still speechless, so she did the only thing that she could think to do. She reached out a hand and pulled his face back to hers, enveloping his lips in another kiss. It was unhurried and lazy, but the love between them was palpable in the cool night air. They'd shared many passionate kisses, heated and hungry, but this, gentle and lingering, was more powerful than any of those had been.  
  
When she pulled away from him, the somber look on her face was replaced with a serene and loving smile. He returned the same to her, thankful that she was peaceful.  
  
She rolled over and spooned her back against his chest, grinning to herself as his arms came around her protectively. Her gaze drifted up to the stars above, and she found even more peace in the beauty she saw there. "Thanks for bringing me here, Vaughn," she offered quietly. "Promise me we'll do it again?"  
  
His arms tightened around her as he smiled into her hair. "We'll do this again," he promised. "Whenever we need to get away from the world, forget everything. we'll come here. I promise," he vowed. It hit him then that he couldn't deny her anything; if she asked for the moon, he'd find a way to give it to her.  
  
She settled herself in his arms, finally feeling safe in a world where danger plagued her every move. He placed a soft kiss in her hair as her has twined around his, and they lay together in a gentle stillness. Both pairs of eyes drifted up to the vast sky above, seeing only beauty written in the stars.  
  
For now, they could forget about the pain, the anger, the betrayal. they had their moment, calm and peaceful, where it was only them. They were together, and for once, that was most important; that was all that mattered.  
  
They had their moment, and it was all they needed.  
  
~The End 


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